The dazzling colors, sights and sounds of the 2019 Rose Parade came to a discordant end Tuesday morning after one of the larger floats caught fire just before the procession was scheduled to conclude.

The annual Pasadena march featured its usual array of fabulous floral floats and marching bands from all over the globe, all winding down the route on a bracing morning with temperatures in the 30s. Grammy-winning Grand Marshal Chaka Khan got the parade, themed “The Melody of Life,” started with a live musical performance.

It was a history-making parade, featuring the first African American to serve as Tournament of Roses president, Gerald Freeny, and Louise Deser Siskel, the parade’s first Rose Queen to be openly LGBTQ, Jewish and wear glasses.

People flood the area around the Chinese American Heritage float after it stalled for a second time during the 2019 Rose Parade in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

The Chinese American Heritage float is towed after a fire broke out on the float during the 2019 Rose Parade in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

The South Pasadena float in the Rose Parade on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. (Photo by Tom Bray, SCNG)

The Royal Swedish Cadet Band performed in the 2019 Rose Parade after a lengthy delay caused by a float malfunction. (Photo by Thomas Bray, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Trombone player Damien Bezek, 15, center, and his Lassiter High School Marching Trojan Band, of Marietta, Georgia, use Mylar to stay warm before the 2019 Rose Parade in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019.(Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Kris Petervary, 11, of Westminster pushes a cart full of programs as a fundraiser for Boy Scout Troop 670 in Cypress during the 2019 Rose Parade in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)

The trouble came late in the parade, with the 38th float — out of some 40 in line — the Chinese American Heritage Foundation’s “Harmony Through Union,” as it neared the bend in the road where Orange Grove and Colorado boulevards meet. Smoke started pouring out of the 90-foot, two-segment float about 15 minutes before TV broadcasts were set to end.

The 281-member Lincoln-Way Marching Band from New Lenox, Illinois, and the horse-drawn Gold Rush Fire Brigade went around the disabled float as the 10 a.m. broadcast end-time approached, prompting organizers to trigger the parade’s final performance with singer Anne-Marie, even though the remaining two floats — from South Pasadena and DigAlert — and the Royal Swedish Cadet Band hadn’t appeared on camera yet.

Pasadena city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian confirmed there was a small fire on the float, the cause of which remains under investigation. The Fire Department and parade organizers train for such situations, so officials were prepared when it happened. All float-riders were evacuated and no one was injured, she said.

The truck that first towed the float, which commemorated an iconic photograph heralding the 1869 completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, saw its tow bar break shortly after starting its haul, prompting organizers to call for a second tow truck.

The two final floats never appeared on live TV, but they did eventually make their way down the 5 1/2-mile parade route — though much of the crowd had dispersed thanks to confusion caused by the 30-minute delay. Neither did the symphonic wind band from Sweden.

Kim Wagner from Anaheim Hills was among those who waited in the thinned-out grandstands.

“It would be really sad to come all the way from Sweden and have no one here to cheer you,” she said. “So it was worth the wait.”

Tournament of Roses officials said they were unable to provide information about the breakdown Tuesday afternoon.

“Public safety is a top priority for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association,” the nonprofit said in a statement. “The temporary delay of the 2019 Rose Parade was promptly addressed by our operations and public safety partners. Thank you for your patience as we gather more information.”

Chilling out

The crowds were plenty earlier Tuesday morning, as countless people lined Colorado Boulevard beginning noon Monday for the tradition of camping out for a prime parade-viewing spot. They braved temperatures in the mid-30s and warmed up with blankets, animal-themed pajamas and makeshift fireplaces that might not have passed city officials’ muster.

Pasadena resident Justin Gray’s pre-parade breakfast spread included soup cooked right there on the street in a fire pit. What was inside? Mushroom, zucchini, cabbage, chicken, corn, potatoes “and 13 different different spices … but I can’t you which ones,” he said. “It’s a secret.”

Many campers were parade veterans, including Isabel Parra whose air mattress was layered with blankets. The Pasadena resident said Tuesday was the coldest New Year’s Day in the 17 years she’s been coming.

“I am passing this tradition on to my children,” Parra said.

Lt. Pete Hettama of the Pasadena Police Department said parade day brought a few arrests, but most of the estimated 700,000 here to watch the Rose Parade were well behaved. He didn’t have an exact number of those arrested.

‘Melody of Life’

Music has long played a big part in the Rose Parade and the 130th installment even more so, with its theme the “Melody of Life.” Tournament President Freeny has said he and his family chose the theme because their firsthand understanding of the healing power of music (it helped him get through several cancer treatments) and its power to bring people together.

“Queen of Funk” Chaka Khan, a 10-time Grammy winner, served as grand marshal. She was the first parade leader in recent memory to serve double duty and perform in the parade.

The musical medley started performances of “Good Vibrations” (of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch fame) and Khan’s own “I Feel for You.” The performance culminated with a taste of Khan’s “Like Sugar.” Released in June, the single marks her first entry in music in a decade.

Floral performance

Tournament judges Monday viewed the floats ahead of the New Year’s Day parade and ranked them in a variety of categories. The result is a list of the best 24 floats when it comes to beauty, whimsy, humor, use of flowers and other superlatives.

Featuring Olive, a book-reading, ballet-practicing ostrich, The UPS Store’s Rose Parade float was named the most beautiful of all 46 floats by the Tournament of Roses when it won the top Sweepstakes prize.

“Books Keep Us On Our Toes,” was built by Fiesta Parade Floats and noted by judges for its excellence in design, floral presentation and entertainment. Fiesta also constructed the trouble-plagued Chinese American Heritage Foundation float.

For The UPS Store’s float, more than 30,000 pale pink Mizuky carnations adorn Olive’s head, neck and legs. Her neck lowered from 37 feet to 16 feet in less than a minute to enable the float to pass under low wires and bridges along the parade route.

Northwestern Mutual’s entry, “Spend Your Life Living,” won the Bob Hope Humor award for its depiction of a family of elephants, including parents taking a selfie and hang-gliding and tube-riding calves. It was built by Fiesta.

Chris Lindahl covers Pasadena, El Monte and Pico Rivera for the Southern California News Group. He previously wrote for the Cape Cod Times and Daily Hampshire Gazette in his home state of Massachusetts, where his coverage included higher education, marijuana policy and LGBTQ issues. He's reveling in the novelty of being able to hit the ski slopes and the beach in the same day, however impractical that might be.

Tom Bray is senior editor of Southern California's Los Angeles County properties, as well as managing editor for news content. Bray has been a journalist since he started covering high school sports in 1975. He's served as a reporter, copy editor, section editor and page designer. Bray was managing editor at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, the News-Leader in Springfield, Mo, the Sun in San Bernardino and the Times-Delta in Visalia, Calif.

Christopher Yee is a reporter for the Pasadena Star-News and San Gabriel Valley Tribune covering cities in the west and central parts of the San Gabriel Valley. He grew up in Monterey Park and studied journalism at East Los Angeles College and UC Berkeley. You may find him at Dodger Stadium or at the Staples Center for L.A. Kings games.

Mike Sprague started at the Whittier Daily News in April 1984. Since then, Sprague has covered every city in the Whittier Daily News circulation area, as well as political and water issues. Sprague received a bachelor's degree in communications and a master's degree in political science, both from Cal State Fullerton.